High speed Trg to Auck

[Fogg 427]

OK, so a trip report with a slightly different flavour to the usual reports here. But despite being a powerboat run it's written with a sailor's perspective...

 

So let's get the vital stats out of the way. We ran Tauranga to Auckland in 2hrs 50mins. By my calcs we covered around 130nm at an average speed of about 46kts. For the first 2/3rds up to Cape Colville we were running closer to 40kts but once we cleared Channel Island we opened up and at times hit 60kts but had to slow down as we joined the ferries ploughing Waiheke to Auckland. More on that later.

 

The boat is an American Fountain 38 carrying 2 x 465hp petrol V8s. So not far off 1,000hp in a private luxury cruiser. At WOT (wide open throttle) 60kts we were burning 300 litres per hour but the consumption curve is viciously steep at this point and throttling back to a fast cruise in the 45-50kts range reduced consumption hugely to 'only' 200lph. Net result was that our total fuel burn was about 600l of Caltex's finest. Clearly only a hobby for the well-heeled.

 

I was helping a US friend deliver his pride and joy to it's new home in the viaduct. He is new to NZ and doesn't yet know NZ waters, hence I went along for the joyride as nagivator. He bought it 4 yrs ago in New York but it spent the last 2 yrs in storage and was then delivered by transporter to Port of Tauranga. After 6 weeks prep work to bring it back to concert pitch we were ready for the trip. But clearly a boat like this that likes to travel fast also likes the flattest possible water. So today was the chosen day...

 

Earlier, my friend had described his boat as the Porsche of motor boats. After today's trip I disagree and would describe it more as a Ferrari Grand Tourer i.e. it's capable of covering huge distances in comfort by eating up the miles at speeds more akin to air travel. For example, we passed Whitianga at 1.30pm this afternoon and were back in Auckland not long after 3pm. You can't even drive that journey in a car that quickly.

 

Before describing the trip itself, I should thank rigger. As a tug driver and pilot based in Tauranga he took close interest in this trip and gave me some very helpful advice on navigating Tauranga Hbr itself and the immediate approaches/exits - to ensure we didn't do a high-speed Rena. He also managed to shoot a clip of our initial test run this morning with the engine mechanics onboard, from the bridge of one of his ships. I think in that clip we had just climbed onto the plane and were doing 'only' about 35kts.

 

So after initial testing and then refuelling (we carry 1200 litres all up) we cleared Tauranga Harbour at 1230. Conditions were near perfect with less than 5kts sea breeze rippling the water. We chose to settle at a fast cruise in the 40-45kts region as the optimum point of the fuel consumption curve, close to 1 US gallon per mile. To a yachtie used to 6kts on a good day, this was clearly already like wharp speed.

 

 

The first observation as a yachtie as that the world becomes a very small place. The next waypoint was Slipper Island approx 30nm away which in my language means a 5hr sail. But today, this would be looming large in about 45mins. And it was growing by the minute.

 

Was the ride comfortable? Well, kind of. Clearly the motion is different and in sailing terms it's a bit like the difference between a monohull and a multihull. It's faster and more twitchy but after half an hour I was acclimatised to the new sensation and was confident to move around the boat as normal. But obviously a bigger wave than normal could catch you out so be under no illusions, you can't ever fully relax your guard.

 

As we approached Hole in the Wall a bigger wind chop set in with a NE8-10kts sea breeze. This created a slightly coarser sounding ride but didn't slow our progress. Some technical work with the trim tabs ensured we continued to ride an even keel (literally) and maintained optimum point on the fuel consumption curve.

 

I drove for the first hour or so to give my friend/owner/skipper a chance to rest prior to Colville. My logic was that Colville could be the most challenging part of the trip especially if a SW10-15kts breeze kicked in over a flood tide. And so he should be driving the boat fresh and rested at that point. So as we drew level with the Mercs (only 15-20 mins from Colville) I handed over the wheel and went below to prep some pies for lunch. The motion was different to a yacht and obvously more agitated but having adjusted to it, it was entirely possible to enjoy a pie and (soft) drink at 45kts.

 

 

Talking of drink, beer/alcohol didn't even enter the mind. A bit like when flying a plane (Sundreamer will relate to this), the thought of consuming alcohol just felt 100% wrong. Like a F1 driver wouldn't drink and drive. Now, as a sailor I have to admit to enjoying the odd beer underway at 6kts but I am convinced that no sane person would ever consider impairing their judgement with even a whiff of alcohol when behind the wheel of this kind of machine.

 

As we approached Colville, we came up on another launch. It was a typical kiwi family flybridge boat doing something like 25kts. We passed it like a stationary object doing close to twice it's speed.

 

 

This is what 50kts looks like. To see 60kts watch the Youtube clip which I'll upload below.

 

 

The experience of coming up on another fast planing launch as though it was a stationary object set me thinking.... and my suspicions were confirmed later when we entered the busier Hauraki Gulf for the last leg home. Namely, at the speeds we were operating, we were covering the ocean at about twice the pace of an average kiwi launch. And this could cause problems in close quarters situations. Basically what happened was this. We would see another fast launch approaching from a side angle. This led to the usual thought "who will pass ahead etc...." I am sure that the other boats assumed we were also doing 25-30kts. And that they calculated their course and clearing distances accordingly. But in reality we were closing at twice the speed they had assumed, requiring us to take avoiding action every time. In other words, several boats assumed they would pass ahead of us but quickly ran out of water and we had to divert behind them.

 

The same dynamic ensued as we approached the Motuihe Channel and joined a parallel course with an Auckland-bound Fullers ferry. It was possibly my imagination but I kind of sensed the ferry initally assumed he would pass clear of us but then adjusted course when he realised what was happening. At this point, we slowed down not for our own safety (it was wide open and pretty clear water) but because we sensed other boats were not reading us well.

 

Net result is that I have advised my friend that when driving his machine around the Gulf at twice the average launch speed, even in open waters he needs to be very vigilant that other boats might severely underestimate his speed.... and he should basically plan accordingly. It will be an intensive driving experience, a far cry from relaxed sailing at 6kts.

 

My friend dodging traffic (boats and wildlife):

 

 

This didn't just hold true for boats. It included the wildlife as well. I've frequently been on a fast ferry (20-25kts) that causes floating birds to take flight to avoid being run down. And often they fly across the bow a bit like a bird tries to miss a car. But again these guys mis-timed things badly due to our speed. At one point a large Gannet on our port bow took off and flew starboard across us - requiring a severe left turn to avoid taking him out. Again, I predict my friend will be cleaning feathers and bird guts off his boat at the end of every outing.

 

A couple of final points. Again, I can't believe quite how many options speed like this opens up for you. But also the care you need to take. We had barely rounded Cape Colville and I had posted my latest FB update, before we were rapidly approaching the rocks around the Noises and Rakino. It really was just a few minutes. The world becomes a smaller place in the same way it does when you take to the air instead of driving. This boat really is genuinely capable of getting from Auckland to Great Barrier in 1 hour, under the right conditions. Or to the Bay of Islands in 3hrs. Imagine the options that would give you (money permitting)!

 

Final observation was the surreal conversation I had with Auckland CG, which went something like this:

 

Me: Coastguard Radio, this is November-Yankee-5090 with an update to my trip report.

 

CG: November-Yankee-5090 I don't recognise that callsign?

 

Me: Correct, we are a New York registered vessel, hence NY (November-Yankee) 5090.

 

CG: OK, understood. What is you position?

 

Me: Colville Channel just passing Channel Island, inbound to Auckland, ETA 1530hrs.

 

CG: Errrr, think you might be mistaken because it's 1430hrs now.

.

Me: Yes, that's correct, current speed 60kts, ETA 1hour from now. November-Yankee-5090 Out.

 

OK, so it's all a bit of a fun. But having new experiences is fun, isn't it?

 

AC Out.

 

Close to 1,000hp squeezed into 38ft of wharp-speed luxury cruising:

 

[erice 732]

[erice 732]

[Kiwi303 0]

I've drooled over a few web pics of the Baja 420ES from the early 90s, Triple mercruiser 454s driving Bravo 1 outdrives, (tripple 502s optional) 300 gallons fuel storage at full bore pushing you for 300 miles at 70 knots! and all that time with luxurious belowdeck accomodation...

[Fogg 427]

Plus some video footage. Wait to 1:45 to see what it's like to accelerate from 45 to 60kts.

 

[Guest]

So at WOT you still couldn't get it to go as fast as a sail boat then huh?

 

[Fogg 427]

True.

 

When we were cruising at about 45kts I remembered thinking how unbelievable it is that ETNZ's AC72 has been close to this speed under sail - and wondering how different that would have felt i.e. less control and predictability. Made me realise the guys crewing those AC72s are taking serious risks more like racing cars than the image of sailing we normally image.

[wheels 543]

I have been to 80+ Mph in a race boat and it scared the daylights out of me. It is such a freeky unstable feeling. The Skipper was used to speeds much higher, (he used to be a professional race boat driver) and but I felt it was all so out of control ready to flip at the very next ripple on the water.

[Fogg 427]

This actually felt fine, wheels, never unstable or remotely worrying. 100% solid. It's a reasonably heavy boat, close to 7 tons I think so not a lightweight racing thing. And I guess with a cruiser it's a case of driving to the conditions rather than racing on the edge.

[too_tall 15]

I have done nearly 3 times your max speed in a hydroplane, and that is terrifying. What was more terrifying is that the builder had never taken it that fast, he later told me. The waikato river feels like a meter wide stream at that speed, and the pylons which Transpower so kindly put in it really feel magnetic.

 

I wont say that I have done 3 times your max speed in a boat though, because all thats in the water at that speed with the hydroplane are 3 points, and even those are only just touching the water!.

 

I have never been in a super fast boat anywhere other than a river, but I did used to love the days of racing tunnel hull jets.

[Crocket 12]

Have done 127 in a Super Class Ski boat, but at a burn rate of about 5 litres/min, a run like that would have the boat sniffing fumes by the end if it was going flat out. They do have races on the coast over here. Sydney to Newcastle, which is a similar length, with two idiot skiers on the back gets done in a little over 1 1/2 hrs.

The bridge to bridge race record which is river all the way, but only 75 miles is now under 39 minutes.

It would be nowhere near as comfortable though. Hitting waves at over 100mph does give you bruising - even with the padded race seats.